Earlier this summer, I dug my old Nintendo Entertainment System out of a box. I have been trying to reduce the boxes of stuff I retain that I don’t use. I have built some emulators to allow me to relieve some of the games of my youth…but nothing is like the authentic original experience. So I plugged the Nintendo in…and relived the frequent issue of my childhood…the flashing red light. When I was a kid, the solution to that was to blow on the cartridge. However, it is the 21st century now, and I have the internet to research an issue.

After going down some rabbit holes, I discovered that you could add an HDMI output with a board that someone developed…and is no longer sold…and a variety of other interesting items. But I was able to secure a new power adapter, a replacement cartridge connector, and an RCA to HDMI adapter.

So, if you have an old game system in your closet, why not take it out, clean it up, maybe refinish it a bit, and restore it to a place of use?

If you don’t want to do that…there’s always the other way. I discovered I had just missed a large event in my hometown of New York. The Long Island Retro Gaming Expo at the Cradle of Aviation museum. There is a community of enthusiastic people in every fandom if you just look.

In the meantime…can someone help me fix my Super Nintendo?